Chapter Text
*BLINDSPOT*
The labor had been long and agonizing AND EXHAUSTING...more so because Reade was not there to hold her hand and
tell her that she can do it, that everything will be just fine, and to trust her strength...that if millions of women go through
the same thing every day then she is certainly as capable as they. As it was Patterson was the one who coached her through
it, and she was glad for it, but it just wasn't THE SAME. She aches for him, her yearning is so palpable that her team does what
they can to alleviate her anguish. Her joy at the birth of Giovanna Alesia Reade-Zapata is tempered for the reason-she can only
bear to look at her baby for minutes at a time before bursting into tears.
Patterson, Jane, and Weller come to visit after midday; Patterson explains that her 'husbands'-Rich and Boston are out of the
city and will visit at the first opportunity. Feeding her daughter before their arrival, she murmurs "¿Como puedo continuar sin
tu Papa, el amor de mi vida, eh bebita? Era tan bueno, que el mejor hombre queue he conocido. él nos está mirando hacia abajo,
protegiéndonos todavía." Her team arrives and assembled around the bed, admiring the beautiful cream-complexioned baby with
the luxuriant dark curls. While her infant sleeps, a nurse from the maternity ward retrieves Giovanna and takes her out, after which
Tasha tells the room "I don't know what I'll do, I really don't...I can't make it without him, except that I have no choice: Miss Gio made
sure of that." Her smile is soft and brimming with sadness.
"Tash"...Patterson's eyes dart to the other two, then she cleared her throat pressed on: "About what you said: Reade...Reade is ALIVE..."
"Yeah; he'll always be alive in my heart..."
Kurt interrupts to say "TASHA-she means Reade is actually ALIVE, ALIVE ...Ice Cream pulled him out of the
wreckage-he barely had a pulse-and transported him to Blönduós and flew in a surgical trauma team to bring him back from
the brink. Remember Raymond Reddington? HE intervened, which is why Ice Cream was so eager to keep Red happy."
Jane adds "Especially after he betrayed us to Madeline."
Her heart hammering, Zapata says "This...you'd BETTER NOT BE...fuck me-can it be true?"
"Si se puede ser." A raspy, familiar, and OH SO BELOVED voice calls from the door. :Estoy aquí vivo y en color."
"READE ! HOW...what...Reade are you really here?!"
Rich Dot Com (followed by His and Patterson's husband Boston) pushes the battered but very much alive Edgar Reade into
the private suite. It's evident that he's been through hell, but that doesn't dim the thousand-watt smile on his handsome face.
He grabs both of her hands in his bandaged ones, kissing them reverently while tears of joy stream from her eyes.
"What took you so long?" Zapata is just GIDDY, and the group laughs aloud at her quip.
"It took a minute to get out from under all of that rubble" he grinned.
Carefully, the new mother manages to slide down and over to let him know how over-joyed she is at his return via a red-hot
kiss.
"Get a room!" Kurt cracked.
"Yeah--you guys are parents now: no more sex for you!" Boston said.
"Speaking of which: can someone have them bring our baby back in?" Zapata asks.
*****GLOSSARY*****
"¿Como puedo continuar sin tu Papa, el amor de mi vida, eh bebita? Era tan bueno, que el mejor hombre queue he
conocido. él nos está mirando hacia abajo, protegiéndonos todavía.
How do I go on without your Daddy, the love of my life, my Baby? He was so good, the best man I ever knew; he's looking
down on us, protecting us still.
*********
Era tan bueno, el mejor hombre que he conocido.
He was so good; the best man I ever knew.
*********
Si se puede ser. Estoy aquí vivo y en color. Yes it can be-I'm here-alive and in color.